Rachel Frost

 
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Rachel Frost is a Hatter and a Historian. Inspired by a love of folk tradition and history, she uses a variety of traditional craft skills to create both historical hats and her own original designs. Sustainability and the environment plays a fundamental roll in her making process, using natural materials, foraged plant fibres, natural plant-dyes and low-impact technology.

She specialises in the making of hand-felted hats using a 'Hatter's Bow'. This hat making process was used throughout Britain until the mid 19th century when the craft died out due to mechanisation. She is currently the only person in Europe using this process.

In 2009 she received the Janet Arnold award to conduct a study of early felt hats held in British collections. Since then she has continued to research the pre- industrial history of felt hat making and is currently conducting a global study of this little known craft, which has so far taken her to Hungary, Turkey and Mexico.

Her hats can be seen on stage and screen and are in demand by both the fashion and heritage industry.